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Suddenly, it’s 1973 again. That big SUV in your garage feels as modern as a Nixon-era Olds 88. Global warming and our everlasting oil dependency are dimming the prospects of GM and Ford following Chrysler into the rear-drive V-8 sedan business. You could drive yourself to work in a Toyota Prius or one of the stealthier hybrids, but even at $3 per, the hybrid won’t pay off for years. By then, the interest on your adjustable-rate mortgage could be sky high.

The good news is that, when it comes to finding a cheap, economical commuter-combat car, it’s not 1973 anymore. No more Datsun B-210s or Honda Civic CVCCs. Of course, your target price is now “under $20,000,” not “under $3000.” The Civic and the Sentra, the latter having been on the market since about the time Datsun was changing its name to Nissan, are no longer their brands’ entry-level cars. The Mitsubishi Lancer, having reached near oblivion as a no-money-down special since it morphed out of the Dodge Colt of the 1980s, now shares its platform with the upcoming, up-market Galant. It also shares the platform with the Chrysler Group’s front-drive cars, from Jeep Compass to Dodge Avenger. Hyundai‘s Elantra is also all new, although it evokes a sense of dj vu, with a carryover engine and transmission.

Like most Hyundais, it benefits from better quality, styling, and refinement, but it’s not as far improved as bigger, more expensive models like the Sonata and Santa Fe. Modern, prosperous Seoul isn’t nearly as crowded as modern, prosperous Tokyo, and cars of this size aren’t as important in South Korea as they are in Japan. No surprise, the Elantra hasn’t been showered with the same kind of attention as the bigger models from its quickly growing parent company.

So here’s what we’ve gathered to determine the most enjoyable, practical way to get to your daily grind. The Honda Civic LX-18 months after the Civic was named Car of the Year-is our benchmark. The challengers are the midlevel Nissan Sentra 2.0S, the Hyundai Elantra SE, and the Mitsubishi Lancer in GTS trim.

The Lancer GTS starts a grand or two higher than the others, but it’s the only trim level we could get our hands on this early, which reflects Mitsubishi’s new direction in the U.S. market. It sold only 118,558 cars and trucks in the U.S. last year, a number just 636 higher than Nissan’s Sentra sales. Now it’s taking a Subaru, “we’re not going to try to be Toyota or Honda” approach, concentrating on a lower volume of slightly upscale, well-equipped, sportier models. Designed to benefit from the halo of Mitsubishi’s upcoming Evolution X, our Lancer GTS was fitted with 18-inch wheels and tires (versus the others’ 16-inchers), a paddle-shift CVT, a boy-racer rear wing, and a front strut tower brace. Omitting the $1500 sun and sound package-it was our only tester to come with a sunroof-would’ve brought its bottom line to within $1100 of the Nissan and Honda.

Choosing the Civic as the benchmark eliminated several well-established models from consideration. The Chevrolet Cobalt represents a decent effort from a company that has struggled to produce a credible compact sedan, but it’s an also-ran next to the Civic. So is the larger Volkswagen Jetta when equipped with the standard 2.5-liter five. And the 2008 Ford Focus wasn’t yet available. Toyota has held up replacement for its aging Corolla, having rushed back to the drawing boards when the company saw the current Civic, a credit to our 2006 Car of the Year.

None of our commuters came equipped with its optional stick shift, which says something about this mission. These are daily drivers for everyman. The Lancer and Sentra have continuously variable transmissions, the Civic has a five-speed automatic, and the Elantra has a four. Serious enthusiasts who need cars like this and don’t mind a workout for the left leg during rush hour ought to consider a manual, though, which would’ve provided more fun and probably better acceleration in any of our combatants.

Were we to choose the winner among these four based on our enthusiasts’ proclivities, the Mitsubishi Lancer might top our list, but it isn’t the best commuter compact for rush-hour traffic, nor is it necessarily the most rewarding drive. Running these little sedans down the hardscrabble highways in and around Detroit and flinging them around an entertaining country road proved that a stiff suspension doesn’t automatically deliver the best handling.

The Sentra was the big surprise, offering the most comfy and cushy commute. It’s as if Carlos Ghosn dropped a few old Citron parts into the Sentra’s Renault-based architecture. A combination of soft springs, lots of travel, and stiff damping, the suspension soaks up bumps nicely, with no reverberation. Simply step inside the car and it rocks gently, like a 2CV. Wring it out through a few turns, and the 16-inch all-season doughnuts grip as well as the tires on the other three. There’s no sense of float in the suspension at speed-French handling without nautical body motions.

The car’s comfort level is flawed, though, as we discovered some itch in both front door frames and some light lumber noise in its chassis over severely crusty roads.

Its 2.0-liter four isn’t as powerful as the Mitsubishi’s, but has a smidge more torque. While some automakers are backing away from CVTs, Nissan is embracing the transmission. Its second-generation CVT winds up at low revs for much better feel than the otherwise sportier Mitsu. One judge even criticized the Sentra’s throttle for feeling too touchy at tip-in. But the CVT-equipped Nissan feels quicker than it is-the opposite of most competitors’ CVTs.

The Civic has the stiffest body structure of the quartet, and Honda takes advantage of this structure with moderately compliant suspension, superb body control, and Accord-like stiff damping. Ride quality isn’t as good as the Nissan’s, but it’s better than the Mitsubishi’s and Hyundai’s, and it feels better squirting around the rural handling loop. Even with quick, light steering, the Civic is short of feeling twitchy. It’s a mild compact but with many of the qualities that make the hyper-fun Civic Si such a driver’s delight.

It also lets in more road and tire noise than the other three, and you can feel some engine vibration through the steering wheel at idle. Note that, despite its super-stiff structure, the Civic is about 200 pounds lighter than its rivals. This always has been Honda’s modus operandi, to build the lightest cars in their respective classes. The Civic must have less sound damping than its three rivals in this test. In trade, you get better fuel mileage or better performance, or both. Choose a 197-horse Si, and performance is your reward. Choose a 140-horse, 1.8-liter Civic, and you get better EPA numbers than any of these four. The Civic’s five-speed automatic is geared for fuel mileage over performance, though, so when you step on the go-pedal, first gear launches you nicely, then you bog down with a big step into second.

The Elantra marches into 2007 with the modern answer to the Powerglide, a four-speed automatic. Hyundai’s way of doing business is to offer lots of features for less money. For $480 less than the Honda, you get steering-wheel radio and cruise controls plus XM and Bluetooth connectivity. But is that all you care about for your commute? On the rural road course, the Elantra had the most trouble keeping up with the pack. It skitters over more damaged roads. Major understeer conspires with the most flexy chassis of the four to make finding new satellite channels a good diversion. Steering is heavy, slow, and a bit nonlinear. On freeways, the Elantra is less willing to soak up bumps than the Sentra or Civic. It’s what you get when you need to stiffen a short-travel suspension for a not very rigid chassis.

From the big blue wing bisecting the vista in the Lancer’s rearview mirror, you’ll know you’re in the boy racer. Initial impressions are great if you start with a smooth country road, not so hot if you jump on a freeway first. After more time with the car, its deficiencies start to accumulate. The word “supple” will never come up, and if you spend the rush hour hitting expansion strips and potholes, you’ll wish you had 16-inch tires instead of the GTS’s 18s.

By the numbers, these cars are remarkably close to each other. But after a quick drive, you’ll be able to describe distinct personalities for each, which flies in the face of the stereotype for front-drive Asian sedans.

Testing also shows the Mitsu a hair ahead of the Nissan in 0-to-60-mph and quarter-mile times and a few hairs ahead of the Honda. But the most powerful engine here just doesn’t feel that good. Its CVT saps any feeling of immediacy, and the engine sounds and feels agricultural. You get a lot more out of it by using the F1-style manumatic paddles, fixed to the steering column, and that’s the way to drive it on the fun roads. Technical director Markus scoffs at them, though: They’re antithetical to CVT efficiency, and they cost a half-second of acceleration time. Besides, the CVT won’t let you rev past 6200 rpm in any gear, despite a 6500-rpm redline.

As with the Hyundai, you can stifle this by basking in the glow of the goodies the Lancer GTS offers, like the automatic climate control and the loud and clear Rockford Fosgate hi-fi. The stereo is by far the best of this bunch, guaranteed to keep you from the news and talk channels on your way to work, although its subwoofer takes up some space in the trunk. (Nissan offers a Rockford Fosgate stereo in the Sentra, too, but our test car didn’t have it.) With six cupholders, including two in the front doors and two in the rear-center armrest, the Lancer can accommodate just about every kind of Starbucks latte. There are enough powerpoints for two of your carpoolers to work on their laptops on the drive to the office. Its only seatback map/magazine pocket is in the driver’s seat, clearly a nod to right-hand-drive markets. Front seats are well bolstered, while the backs have low seat cushions to ensure enough headroom, forcing long-legged back-seat carpoolers to ride with their knees in their chins. Available options not in our car include Bluetooth, keyless start, and a CD/DVD nav or a 30-gig HD nav system.

Road-test editor Mortara notes the Elantra’s rear seat is “pretty darn comfortable”; given his six-foot-three height, this is quite a compliment. High seating positions make the Hyundai a considerable pool car, and it has a good no-name stereo, large glovebox, easy-to-reach trunk-mounted rear-seat fold-down releases, auxiliary inputs with separate powerpoints, and, for some reason, a giant auxiliary cord with a gigantic filter. Must be pumping out a lot of the electronic interference. It’s also a smoker’s car, with an ashtray and cigar lighter. Never again will you stand shivering while puffing outside your office building.

The Civic looks like it should be the official car of office buildings designed by Calitrava. Its avant-garde design is holding up well, although the dash could use a splash of color. It’s too gray. The rear seat is high and comfortable, yet foot space is tight under the low front seat. The car is missing a good stereo, rear-center armrest and cupholders, and a split rear seat; it only folds down as one piece. The driver gets no steering-wheel controls in the LX, but does get the only telescoping steering wheel here, an auto-up driver’s window (also found in the Lancer), cool, easy-to-read analog tach/digital speedometer combo, and the best-feeling switchgear in the pop-price segment.

You sit tallest in the Sentra, adding to the Francophiles’ delight. The car is a full three inches taller overall than the Civic and about an inch taller than the other two. The interior’s gray and beige two-tone raised ambivalence. On one hand, it’s more visually interesting than the blacks and grays of its rivals; on the other, the beige seats and trim looked to be showing dirt moments after the car arrived. The front seats aren’t well bolstered, but they are supportive and firm. The “forward control” look of the CVT gearshift, which has no manumatic control, fits the nature of the car.

For a couple hundred more than the Civic LX, the Sentra 2.0S as equipped for our test includes keyless entry and start (you keep the fob in your pocket and twist an ignition notch on the steering column), a trip computer with fuel economy and outside-temperature readings, Bluetooth connectivity, steering-wheel audio controls, cavernous glovebox, and automatic-down driver’s window. It has a built-in CD holder in the driver-side visor and an MP3 connector slot and four adjustable cupholders, with the rear cupholders in the fold-down armrest. There’s a tacky sticker on the center console to point out the car’s sole power outlet. The omigod grab-handles are fixed, not the pull-down type, and the two in the rear intrude into the otherwise ample headroom. Watch your noggin.

Our noggins tell us there’s a virtual dead heat in the race to find the perfect car for rush-hour combat. Fourth place goes to the Elantra, a new Hyundai that simply isn’t up to the brand’s recent standard. Third place belongs to the Mitsubishi Lancer. It’s the handsomest car here, with that fierce and striking nose and a rear fascia that could be mistaken for that of a Lexus IS But most commuters will like it less than the Civic and Sentra, the longer their rush-hour drives.

The Nissan Sentra and Honda Civic each fired various “good-car” synapses and crossed the line in a photo finish. The Sentra is a good choice for keeping carpoolers comfortable in the back seat. But the Civic gains points for its superb structure and good balance of comfort and performance, which includes fuel economy. Gas mileage counts for a lot in these cars, and the Civic is the winner both in EPA and real-world numbers, having managed 27.1 mpg under our lead feet versus 25.9 mpg for the Sentra, 24.8 for the Lancer, and 24.6 for the Elantra. Big numbers-for when gas prices get back to 1973 levels.

1st PlaceHonda Civic LXLightweight and well-built, it’s still small-car state of the art, but others are catching up.

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